Amazing place in London. I love the food. can’t wait to come back here again. Congratulations to the staff.
Stumbled upon this tucked in a corner, cozy place in Soho one windy summer evening. It was my last night in London and the skies too were melancholic!
This place has a small courtyard and inside seating too.
Though crowded (was a Fri evening), we got a table fast with a wonderful guy to help us - need to go back again to get his name though :-( told you I was sad...
The vermouth got us started as did the Mangalitsa ham on lettuce & poached trout with pesto, capers & asparagus! The trout was much better...
The red wine too brightened my mood and made me deeply aware that I could brood tomorrow, the day after and if I want the whole months ahead but this moment in time.... will never be back...ever...
For mains, my partner had the steak and I went with the Ham Yard fav white wine chili vongole (clams) linguine! Twas amazing! The minted new potatoes were delish!
It was a bittersweet evening but the restaurant did make it up....
Adios! Till we meet again...
Regular readers of the Fizz of Life Blog will have noticed that my posts have become more intermittent, rather than once weekly on Tuesdays. There are many reasons for this but, most importantly, after three and a half years of writing it regularly, I have come across so many fabulous restaurants, which I have enjoyed so much, that I want to return to them, rather than necessarily trying out somewhere new every week. Since one person can only eat so much, so often, and still retain a healthy, happy lifestyle, something had to give! Most notably, my waistband! However, despair not, I will be continuing with my write-ups, though they will appear on a more ad hoc basis, when I have something to share with you. I hope you will bear with me and carry on visiting this page, liking it and sharing it! New posts are announced on Fizz of Life’s Facebook page, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn and Instagram. (See links on side bar).
Filipe Passos-Coelho
+3.5
The food was good but didn't justify the price tag.at all. The crab spaghetti I had was a very decent portion, but I was not overwhelmed when I tasted it. Which is a shame indeed, as the place is super nice, targeting middle/upper class customers but not impossibly expensive, and the waiters are friendly, knowledgeable and well learnt. I am happy I went there with friends but I wouldn't go there again, or it wouldn't be my first choice at all. When you walk in a place were you feel you are super underdressed for the local, I was expecting a bit more for my gastronomical voyage there. Maybe expected too much and am being unfair.
Sitting outside on a rare hot summers day in London. Stumbled upon this place by accident. I sat outside in the pretty small courtyard of the bar. The restaurant side was very busy and full up. Service was a little slow, but that can be forgiven as both the restaurant and bar outside was busy!
Inside is deceiving, it is quite large! With a large bar, variety of seating and an inside courtyard. I noticed that afternoon tea was a popular choice amongst many ladies.
On this occasion I didn't eat, but the food I saw coming out looked delicious and I do believe I will back with an appetite!!
We had dinner at the Ham Yard's restaurant to celebrate my partner's birthday. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal off the set menu. We shared the poached pear with feta and macadamia nuts as well as the squid inspired starter. For mains we had the poussin and I had the asparagus and goats cheese pasta. Both were delicious. Out great evening was rounded off with a birthday treat and grey coffees. Would definetly recommend a visit to this restaurant!!
A cozy and warm place, away from the crazy places of soho. The decor is very nice. The service is very good and professional. The food and drinks are very delicious!
Luca Brunello Zaccagnino
+4.5
Probably my favorite addition to the Soho food&drink scene in 2015. They have transformed an otherwise unused area of Soho, into a warm and cozy spot. The bar has a nice selection of wines and the nibbles are worth their price. The food at the restaurant is delicious although unpretentious. I have been here a handful of times and love the poached cod
Tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus and amongst the myriad of West End streets, the elegantly modern Ham Yard Hotel certainly doesn’t feel like it’s in Soho. Quite unlike its name suggests, the venue is very retro-glam largely thanks to its £90 million fit-out. Upon entering it feels like you have been transported from the craziness of London to a cool urban village retreat. I don’t know about you but as a city slicker that’s exactly what I crave sometimes…
Wrap Your Lips Around This
+3.5
Afternoon tea in itself is a pretty inoffensive affair, built around the genteel consumption of finger sandwichs, scones and a few polite little pastries. Perhaps the most objectionable part of this daintiest of activities is not the activity itself, but the sums of money that you are sometimes asked to part with to have them. I’m refreshingly surprised to see the price tag on the afternoon tea at Ham Yard Soho, an eclectic hotel where the afternoon tea costs just £19.50 pp, and is full of creative and unique meanderings.
Stylish new entry behind the bustling roads of piccadilly Circus. The very nice exterior and interior decoration distinguish this venue from start. It the bar inside has a satisfying list of spirits, and the cocktails were good. Ideal place for a date, or a corporate dinner. It is just a matter of time until people discover this hidden place, and filtering will begin in order to get in, so better take advantage of it.
This hotel has topped the chart of my favorite hotels. The amazing decor, the incredible ambiance and the flamboyant attitude of the staff is totally swooning. The service offered is excellent and very efficient. I am totally in love with this place. I am definitely recommending this place to whomsoever I come across. Cheers.
Each time I go to London, I make it a point to visit my favourite hotel. However, it has been getting more expensive over the years and I decided to stay at this one. The location of this hotel makes it very convenient. The decor of the interiors is quite exquisite and very pleasing to the eyes. The staff here is very pleasant and efficient at their work. Definitely recommended.
The first time I went to this place, I did not have very high expectations as I am used to a certain level which is provided by hotels different to this. However, my time here was amazing and I had a lot of fun. The place is very relaxing and comfortable and is worth every penny. The rooms are beautifully decorated. Definitely recommended.
The hotel has amazing rooms, beautiful and mesmerizing decor. The interiors here are designed very incredibly. The location of this place works hugely in its flavour. The breakfast is quite amazing and very delectable. However, the soundproofing of this place is to be questioned. Otherwise, this place is something I would recommend to everyone.
This place has a breathtaking view and enticing interiors. To begin with, the service is fantastic, staff offered us to show the hotel and we fell in love with marvelous spaces and arty decor. The room was comfortable and relaxing. Bed was freshly made with smooth linen. My stay was superb!
Rafael is by far the best place I have been to in this entire city. The staff happens to be very welcoming and very pleasing. The environment was pretty elegant and the decor was pretty exquisite. If you're a person who loves art then this place would definitely interest you. Amazing collection of paintings and brilliant art pieces are showcased. Recommended thoroughly.
This place is amazing and worth the money you spend on it. This place is something I would recommend to everyone who is looking for a place which offers great value for money.The ambiance here is very chic and trendy and the interiors are decorated really nicely with a lot of great artwork. The staff is quick, efficient and very amicable. The food also lives up to the expectations and is very delicious. Definitely recommended.
This hotel has very beautiful and intricate interior with historic architecture. The decorations used are very beautiful and unique in its own way. The place is decorated by Firmdale. We also enjoyed the hotel's bar, which was huge and had a wide variety of beer. The spa was also very good and relaxing. I had a great time here.
The tea here was brilliant; very comforting and relaxing. I went here with a few friends and we all had a great time and had a very pleasant time. I happen to have been to a lot of high rated places for tea and this place still manages to stand out. I definitely recommend it to everyone.
I went with a few friend s and had a great time . The food was good but the seats a little uncomfortable . The staff was friendly and attentive ,and soon moved us to more comfortable seats , and thereafter the experience was wonderful . Would recommend to all .
A friend has already worked at this place and he asked that we must go and see this place. This is such a fabulous building, very stylish and extremely friendly and pleasing staff. The main bar was filled with hep and classy people. The lower bar area was getting prepared for a birthday party when we went to see it.
What a fab place ! I'm not sure what used to be in this area but it feels like a whole new area of the Piccadilly end of Soho has been created, such a lovely ambience.
The courtyard area outside the hotel is really lovely.
Inside is an elegant and beautifully designed place with funky twists and twirls everywhere.
We had a group dinner with a client to celebrate the end of a project. There were 10 of us around a big oval table which was perfect.
I had mackerel as starter and veal for mains, both superbly cooked and presented. We shared all the sweets on the menu, all were delicious.
It was very busy with a trendy crowd.
Really good for a group night out !!
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Beds, fluffy pillows and buzzy electric restaurant are normally like oil and water. There are very few hotel restaurants that manage to have that spark, the spark that makes you say I want to come back here.
So myself and my two gorgeous BBFF (blonde best friends forever) had a date in the diary for dinner last night. Having spent a few days deliberating where to book, Shh I sometimes feel pressure to actually find somewhere amazing when I make a restaurant suggestion, I settled upon Ham Yard Bar and Restaurant.
I am not one for procrastination so I am going to get it out of the way, we discovered the SPARK! Ham Yard Bar and Restaurant simply summarised, is good food with fresh flavours, electric atmosphere, a little slice of NY and the SPARK! (The SPARK summarised is OMG I am coming again, I love it here and what took me so long to discover this place)
Whilst S, V and I perused the menu we had a nice bottle of red to share. The menu itself ordered a good selection, covering any mood you could find yourself in. With my darling besties wedding this weekend I was feeling in a rather healthy mood, so was pleased with the option of non meat meals that actually made me excited.
V and I both ended up ordering the same courses, scallops to start followed by the cod with risotto. The scallops were excellent, so excellent I had one of those moments were I ate mine far too quickly. I hate when that happens!
S ordered the Burrata with heritage tomatoes. The dish looked really beautiful and the clear plate was testimony that it most probably tasted really good.
To follow V and I had the poached cod, parsley risotto and pancetta. Now those close to me know it is very very rare that I order fish as a main course as I inevitable end up feeling let down by the flavours. Well at Ham Yard there was no such misfortune!
I absolutely loved my main course and wouldn't mind a lesson on how to create such beautiful delicate flavours at home. The parsley risotto I think was just the perfect balance against the cod.
S had the Ricotta gnocchi and before I could take a photo of it, the fork was in. That's what happens when food looks so good!
Great For - A slice of NY buziness, the atmosphere couldn't get any more electric. This spot is a perfect for giggles with the girls, a date night or an assortment of friends meeting for dinner!
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With my wedding whirlwind, followed my a three day minimoon and a four week honeymoon, I'd been out of the 'blogger loop' for sometime. But once I was home, it was back in business and I was excited to reconnect with all the new blogging buddies I'd made in the last year.
Starting with...the lovely Melanie from Sunny in London.
On our first lunch date we met at Bubbledogs and afterwards had a final glass of champagne at The Charlotte Street Hotel, part of the Firmdale collection. We both loved the beautifully designed hotel, so The Ham Yard Hotel, Firmdale's latest venture, seemed the perfect place for us to reunite after a two month absence.
We'd had our first lunch date over several glasses of champers so a glass of Veuve Cliquot was the perfect way to begin this happy reunion...
And as we toasted to blogs, weddings, honeymoons and lovely luxury hotels, we perused the menu of classic dishes.
I chose the the summer minestrone with asparagus, peas and beans to start.
It was a great light choice and not too watery as I feared. There was a little oil on the top, which added greatly to the flavour and meant the soup wasn't too thin.
But I had total food envy when I saw Melanie's scallops served with cauliflower, apple and truffle! I love scallops so I probably would have preferred one more in the portion and though they were well cooked, they were a little on the salty side.
Perfectly cooked rare tuna served with artichokes and aubergine was the ideal choice for me as I absolutely love this combo! If I see artichoke or aubergine on a menu I have to have it, so the two together are heaven!
Melanie's poached cod was served on a gorgeous emerald sea of parsley risotto with a tasty crisp piece of pancetta.
We were having such a lovely time chatting that we barely noticed that the restaurant was emptying out.
But when we did it gave us the perfect opportunity to photograph the dining room.
As with the other Firmdale Hotels, The Ham Yard is beautifully designed by the Firmdale owner and award-winning interior designer, Kit Kemp. Beautiful glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the dining room itself is a perfectly chosen eclectic collection of prints, artifacts and pictures.
After lunch we went to explore further...
Being a book worm I loved the library:
With it's plush furnishings and huge hand-picked book collection.
I could just curl up on this sofa and get lost in a book all afternoon...adjacent to the library is an honesty bar in case I require a sturdy cup of coffee or a chilled glass of champagne!
Down in the basement you're welcomed to a whole other world.
The huge, subterranean basement area is decorated with cool neon signs...
and a sculpture of oranges!!
And best of all...
A bowling alley!! But not just any bowling alley, this one was super funky with beautiful solid maple bowling lanes, comfy sofas and the option to have UV shoelaces in your vintage bowling shoes. I love the idea of hiring out the whole of the bowling alley for a unique party idea.
Back outside I admired the courtyard, which seemed like the perfect place for a cocktail on a sunny day.
The Ham Yard is not only a hotel, but it is also the central feature to an urban village. Surrounding the hotel are gorgeous boutiques including a florist, swim wear shop, tea shop and nail bar. Plus a newly opened Press Juice Bar has just joined the fab selection.
Though I didn't get to take a look, The Ham Yard also includes a spa, gym, theatre and rooftop garden! There really is everything located in this charming complex in Soho. I already love all the Firmdale hotels...but I think I have a new favourite!!
Seated in the enclosed garden area, we could enjoy natural daylight with a bit of air con which made us very comfortable in the hot weather. The items in the afternoon tea set were all very delicious and so were the teas. I particularly like the teas as they were special blends/ flavoured which I haven’t come across in other restaurants. Excellent service by the team too!
Very relaxed unpretentious vibes, finger sandwiches were ok, the spinach roll and mushroom biscuit were my favorite from the savories. Dessert was good, the cheesecake was a standout. Excellent friendly staff.
Fabulous Al fresco dinner on the terrace on an unseasonably warm October evening! Great value set menu with delicious champagne. Pumpkin cheesecake a knockout.
Had afternoon tea at the Ham Yard Hotel, and it was a wonderful experience! Everything was delicious, and we were very full by the end. Service was great, ambience was lovely. It was 40 pounds which I found pretty reasonable, especially compared with other afternoon teas.
Absolutely amazing place! The staff is super friendly and helpful. The whole hotel vibe is just an experience. They even have a bowling alley, where you can enjoy with friends and delicious drinks 🍸
My experience here was lovely. My boyfriend and I went here for an anniversary dinner after we saw a play nearby. The play ran a little long, and we called the restaurant to let them know, and they were super understanding and accommodating, not rushing us at all. Once we got there, we were seated immediately at a nicely set table. We got the set menu of two courses which came with a complimentary glass of champagne. The food was good, but the service was what made it all the more enjoyable. After our dessert, we were given a free plate of small brownies and fruit with “happy anniversary” written on it, which we had specified in the reservation but hadn’t brought up with our server. The waitress then offered to take photos for us, and was incredibly friendly.
Had the set menu and for its price, definitely worth it! Every dish was great and certainly didn’t disappoint given the location.
Fine dining at it's best!
Our server was very attentive and well mannered, food was lovely. Would maybe suggest a few more beers on the menu, however I do understand it's more of a wine and dine situation.
The venison special was fantastic! The wine, divine but unfortunately service was a little lacking and £32 for a salad is mad even by London standards.
The Ham Yard is one of my favourite places in London, its a hide out I am reluctant to share. It so classy and fun here.
We recently went to the garden party they hosted for the Coronation. Always good fun, easy place for just drinks or food too.
My partner and I shared all of our dishes and absolutely loved every single one of them.
We started with the bread and butter and whipped salt cod. We found the whipped salt cod slightly salty on its own but it was much better when paired with the crackers provided with it or with our bread.
For our mains, while both were good, the chicken schnitzel nothing amazing. The woodland mushrooms however, was great especially because the polenta was not heavy at all.
What really sealed the deal was our waiter, Antonio who was amazing. We were never kept waiting for anything during our dinner and he did a good job in making us feel comfortable during our meal. We will definitely be coming back. Thank you Antonio and the rest of the Ham Yard crew for making our anniversary a memorable one!
We had dinner in the outside area. The weather was lovely and there was a nice buzz. We were ordered blankets when It started getting chilly. Service was very attentive and friendly. Food was good - but not the type of food I will remember. We ordered a la crate and I thought some of the dishes were overpriced for what they were. I see other people have left comments that the food was good value for money - but most of those comments seem to be regarding a set menu which we didn’t go for. Either way we had a good experience.
Excellent food and service - we came for a pre-theatre meal and they have a great deal on 2 or 3 course set menus. Great selection of interesting wine too, highly recommend for a special night out.
I booked a table at the Ham Yard restaurant for a party of 5 celebrating my friend's 50th birthday with an afternoon tea. We all had a wonderful time. We had two vegetarians and one vegan amongst us which were all attentively catered for. We couldn't have wished for a more lovely, accommodating and polite waitress - Inessa who was an absolute angel! The atmosphere was very pleasant and relaxing also and the food was great! Thank you for making my friend's birthday so special.
This is a great place on many levels. Excellent food, atmosphere and staff. It is a really stylish and capacious venue. Our mains were good. If it is sunny do get a table outside. I will definitely return.
Our best meal while in London. We celebrated my wife's birthday here. Made reservations 2 months in advance for the 8 people in our group. We sat in the outdoor patio area. The cocktails, food and service were fantastic. Thank you so much Ham Yard Restaurant for making our night so special. Until next time....Cheers!!!
I love the Ham Yard restaurant! In fact I think it’s one of my favourite places. The decor is lovely - the library is especially beautiful. I love the fact that they have a cinema too (I was seated at a premiere some months ago when I was writing a film review for a magazine) and it was very comfortable with a charming bar). The service has always been very good. I have been there for afternoon tea in the conservatory - that was my first visit and then I have had supper in the restaurant a few times. On this occasion I was surprised by my friends - for my birthday!!!! We had a super afternoon tea!!! Two of my friends were new to the restaurant. Previously I brought three new friends for supper too!! I love treating my friends to nice places. We had such a good time!!!! The food is delicious with decent portions and the ambience is fantastic. I really want to see the roof terrace and experience an overnight stay- that’s on my list next!! I will report back on that when I can!!!!
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Our 5th day in London and we’ve tried a variety of cuisines/places (including Dishoom) and this was the BEST meal we had in London, hands down.
Highly recommending getting the starters mentioned below and the pappardelle!
Starters:
Native lobster raviolo, steamed coastal greens, bisque, Exmoor caviar - Deeeelicious! The caviar is extremely salty though but didn’t stop us from going back in for seconds! Sad that it’s one large raviolo because it’s so good!
Venison tartare, grilled sourdough, cured egg - This was my favorite and actually a favorite of everyone’s! The flavor combination was amazing. The venison was gamey but not overpowering.
Burrata with pickled chard and gremolata - Good but have had better. Really like the plating of it though!
Entrées:
Monkfish Wellington - It was okay. I didn’t particularly like it. The puff pastry was kind of soggy even without the gravy and I mainly tasted spinach more than anything else.
Pappardelle, beef shin and tomato ragu - So good! The pappardelle was well-cooked and there’s ample amounts of beef shin in the ragu.
Drink:
Un Paquito Picante - Spicy! Love the ginger and flavors but wow, it burns! Unfortunately, by the time I got my drink, the sugar rim was all melted and running down the glass. It was quite sticky and remained sticky to touch. Not sure if it was made and sitting there for a while or was sitting in a warmer spot.
Waitress was very friendly but service was ridiculously SLOW. Understandable for a Saturday evening on Halloween weekend. We arrived for our 6 PM reservations at 5:34 and was immediately seated. Got our drinks like 45 minutes in and then maybe close to an hour later.. our starters and another 15-20 mins for entrées. Waitress felt bad and comped our drinks, which was super nice of her!
Additionally, they have very cute china! My friend was obsessed.
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